STOP THERE!!! Court stops Obasanjo from publishing autobiography

A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Wuse Zone II, Abuja, has granted an order restraining former President Olusegun Obasanjo from going on with plans to publish or have someone publish on his behalf, his new autobiography titled, ‘My Watch.’

Request for the order was made by a member of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Buruji Kashamu, in an ex parte application.


Justice Valentine Ashi made the order on Friday as he agreed with Kashamu’s lawyer, Alex Iziyon (SAN), that part of the content of the book related to the subject matter of the N20bn libel suit instituted by the PDP chief against former President Obasanjo.

The court restrained the former President from publishing the book, pending the determination of the libel suit instituted against him.

The content of the book was said to be related to a letter dated December 2, 2013, written by Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan, claiming that Kashamu was wanted for drug-related crime in the United States of America.

Iziyon had argued on Friday that since part of the content of the autobiography related to the December 2, 2013 letter, which is the subject matter of the libel suit, it was wrong for Obasanjo to be allowed to proceed to comment on, write books about or make publications on the issue yet to be decided by the court.

Justice Ashi, in his ruling, restrained Obasanjo from either publishing the book or have it published on his behalf by anybody, pending the determination of the main suit.

http://www.nigerianeye.com/2014/12/court-stops-obasanjo-from-publishing.html

DESPITE the court order secured by Prince Buruji Kashamu, chairman, mobilisation and organisation committee, South-West Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to stop the publication of “My Watch,” a three-volume book by former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, it is confirmed that the book has gone into circulation.

 A source close to  the former president confirmed to SaharaReporters that copies of the exhaustive autobiography were already available to buyers in print form.

The source told SaharaReporters that the book would soon be available in an electronic version, which is beyond the jurisdiction of courts.

The book, which three volumes chronicle the life of the former president from birth till this year, devoted significant pages to paint an unflattering portrait of President Goodluck Jonathan.

It described President Jonathan as selfish, weak-willed, callous and incapable of rising to the challenges of running a complex country like Nigeria.

Obasanjo accused the president of surrounding himself with aides and political associates with corrupt tendencies.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/news/news-headlines/item/23668-obj-s-court-restrained-book-now-in-circulation

A High Court in Abuja has held that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was in contempt for flouting a court order restraining him from publishing his three-part memoir titled 'My Watch.'

The Judge, Justice Valentine Ashi, has given the ex-president 21 days from the day of the service of the court's order, to show why he should not be punished for contempt. An ex-parte interim order issued by the court on Dec. 5 had ordered that he not release the book in the face of a pending libel suit made before the publication.

Obasanjo, however, despite the interim orders, reportedly made a public presentation of the book last Tuesday in Lagos, saying the book had been published before the court was 'misled' into making the orders.

Justice Ashi said: “The fact that the book was published in November is irrelevant. As long as the substantive suit is not yet determined, no party is entitled to publish or comment on material facts that are yet to be decided on by the court. I hold that the defendant is not only in contempt of the court, but has to show cause why he should not be punished for contempt and ordered to undo what he has wrongly done.”

The court has ordered the former president to show to the court, within 21 days via affidavit, why he had the right to publish the book.
- nigeriabuletin

Judge Valentine Ashi, a Federal Capital Territory High Court justice, ordered security agents, including the police and operatives of the Department of State Service, popularly called SSS to seize the latest book of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The judge said copies of the seized book should be deposited with the court’s registrar pending the determination of the substantive suit.

He fixed 13 January for hearing on the substantive suit.

The judge said: “I hold the defendant not only in contempt of the court, but to show cause why he should not be punished for contempt and ordered to undo what he has wrongly done.
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“The defendant, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, shall be given 21 days, from the day this order is served on him, to show cause, via affidavit, why he should not be punished for contempt committed by publishing and distributing for sale to the public, the book, My Watch, in plain disregard of the pendency of substantive suit and the order of this court made on December 5, 2014 restraining him from doing so.

More on Naij ... : http://www.naij.com/340982-court-orders-confiscate-obasanjos-book.html